New Zealand mosque mass killer pleads guilty to over 50 murders
AN Australian white supremacist accused of deadly attacks on mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch a year ago has pleaded guilty.
Brenton Tarrant admitted 51 counts of murder after initially entering a not guilty plea.
Tarrant had been due to attend court in June, having maintained his innocence over the attack, in which 49 people were also injured last March.
However, the 29-year-old entered his pleas at a hastily arranged hearing in Christchurch yesterday morning — appearing via video link as part of coronavirus precautions.
He also pleaded guilty to 40 charges of attempted murder and a terrorism charge, and now faces the potential of a lifetime behind bars.
A sentencing date has yet to be set.
Tarrant was the first person in the nation’s history to have a terror charge brought against them.
In an attack broadcast live on Facebook, the gunman, armed with semi-automatic weapons, targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on March 15.
The incident was New Zealand’s worst peacetime mass shooting and also marked a political turning point on the nation’s relationship with guns.
In its immediate aftermath the incident led to a nationwide buyback of semi-automatic and military-grade weapons that saw more than 50,000 guns purchased from citizens by the government.
Tarrant was remanded in custody until May 1, when the court hopes to be able to set a sentencing date.
Farid Ahmed, who lost his wife Husna in the attack on Al Noor Mosque (Masjid An-nur), told TVNZ that many would be relieved they did not have to go through the trial, but others would feel very sad, still thinking about their loved ones.
Speaking of the gunman, he said: “I have been praying for him and he has taken the right direction. I am pleased he is feeling guilty. It is a good start.”